Canada names November as Lebanese Heritage Month

New act of parliament aims to encourage 'Lebanese 

Canadians to promote their traditions and culture 

and share them with all

'

A Canadian flag flies in front of the Peace Tower on Parliament Hill in Ottawa, Ontario. Reuters


Willy Lowry
Washington
Jun 27, 2023

Lebanese Canadians' “historic” impact on Canada will be celebrated every November, thanks to a new act of parliament.

The Lebanese Heritage Month Act, first introduced in April 2022, received unanimous support and was passed into law earlier this month.

Under the new act, Ottawa will officially recognise November as Lebanese Heritage Month.

“Parliament wishes to recognise and celebrate the historic mark that Lebanese Canadians have made and continue to make in building Canadian society,” the bill stated.

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The legislation, spearheaded by Liberal MP Lena Metlege Diab of Halifax West in Nova Scotia, aims to encourage “Lebanese Canadians to promote their traditions and culture and share them with all Canadians”.

The MP, who is of Lebanese descent, praised the community's contributions to Canada in an interview last year with Global News.

“We have people in the arts, in sports, in business, in philanthropy – you name it, they’ve made a lot of contributions in so many aspects of life in this wonderful country,” she said.

Ms Diab took to Twitter to celebrate the passing of the bill.

“Deeply grateful to all my colleagues for their speeches and their support,” she said.

Canada has long been home to a sizeable Lebanese population, with communities in cities across the country.

According to the 2021 Census, more than 210,000 Canadians identified as being of Lebanese descent, making it one of the largest non-European ethnic groups in the country.

Ontario and Quebec are home to the largest communities, with many Lebanese Canadians settling in French-speaking Montreal and its surrounding suburbs.